Of EARTHQUAKE!!! ~~~~

Well Darklings,

It's been nearly 2 years since our last scary quake, and this one felt like a runaway express train.

The dogs suddenly were bouncing on the bed whining when it hit, waking us up from a good nights sleep.

This one hit at 2:39 a.m.  it was 4.4 in strength and the epicenter was at the Berkley/Oakland border with the Clairmont  Hotel as the closest landmark.

Doyle bravely put on his robe and slippers and checked for gas leaks and water leaks and if anything fell.   Our device the "little fireman" had shut down the gas so we were fine except we'd be without hot water for a shower. 

Doyle couldn't find any damage but we knew the daylight would reveal anything,  Sis also had her device shut down her gas, so between Doyle and Brian checking things and us closing off the individual gas lines and then relighting them once the "little fireman" was turned off is pretty much what we had to do during the day.

I was stuck wearing my sweat suit until I could bathe, but I did find a few things that had fallen off, the only damage was the beard of my St. Jude statue, which I managed to glue back.

It didn't rain today so we were able to check on the outside for any damage,  I really love those flashlights with the LED bulbs they really bring out everything, every detail, so we spent the day checking things out just to be sure.

Mr. and Mrs Rodgers had returned from their trip yesterday afternoon so this quake was a bit scary for them I managed to make some tea with my electric tea kettle for them so they could calm down, as a matter of fact I needed it too and was joined by Sis to see if everything was O.K. with us. 

Eventually we returned to our respective beds and awaited the dawn.   Coffee had to be instant, and breakfast was cold cereal,  so the first item to get turned back on was the stove, followed by the hot water heater and then the central heating.   Fortunately we could burn a fire in the family parlor fire place so we had a place to get warm since this was not a "spare the air day".

Dinner tonight will be Chinese Take Out once Doyle returns,  I just didn't feel like cooking tonight after that scare, and we'll be joined by Sis and Brian.

I did have a chance to talk to my brother and he said that his house rode out the quake very well, but it was hard getting the children back to sleep since they all clambered into their parents bed scared out of their wits, not that I blame them.   My brother said it was a good thing that the bed was Queen size otherwise they'd all be falling out of it.

We had rain yesterday and it is predicted that we'll have more tomorrow and a bit more next week, which is good, I'd hate to think we'd be going through another drought again.

And now it is dark, I hear Doyle at the door the dogs are barking a happy welcome, so dinner has arrived.

Tonight I think we'll relax reading and talking and listening to light classical music, something to calm our nerves.

Later Darklings

Of Heat, horrible heat and An Earthquake!!!~~~~

Yes Darklings!

We had a 4.0 earthquake on the Hayward fault near Piedmont, just a short distance from my house.

Woke up this morning at 6:50 a.m. we were on the sleeping porch it has been too hot to sleep inside and both dogs started yapping.  I heard things rattle and we froze, I felt a little nauseous from the 2nd shake, so we waited a bit.

Then went through the entire house top to bottom, some things fell off, we lost a couple of wine bottles, but nothing of value, but the heating system started to come on and then go off, then on and off, the thermostat could not stop it so Doyle cut off the gas to the unit,  it could be something as simple as a wire, but since the gas is off to the heater, we don't have to worry about that, we checked the other gas lines to the hot water heater and the stove and all appear to be fine, but Doyle will check it again tomorrow, we are venting the area's to be on the safe side.

The news is all over this earthquake people are saying and asking is this the per-cursor to the Big one on the Hayward fault??  Who knows?  But I can't be a fatalist about it.

The heat for the last three days has been horrible the last two days 93 degrees both days, it was so bad that it was best for us to sleep on the screened in back porch, and eating breakfast and dinner out there as well.

I've been avoiding using the stove so it's the microwave heating up things that I've pre-cooked and froze, and walking around the house wearing a very sheer cotton dress and (dare I say it) no underwear.  

We've been drinking water and using damp and wet wash cloths and fans to cool us down.  Both Doyle and myself have not been able to do anything.  My sister had decided to have her consultation room rigged with an air conditioner and will be calling someone to see about installing one. 

Heat she told me, especially extreme heat can make people irritable to the point of harming each other.  Sudden murders (not drug related) can be influenced by extreme heat as well as volatile tempers. 

My brother and his family are home from their trip and my Sister in law is glad that I was able to get the school supplies.  It makes her work easier.  While they were gone Brian was house sitting for them and I came to collect the mail and such,  and relay that information to my brother.

Coraline and Chris have quiet a collection of books, post cards and pamphlets about the various historical places they visited, and pictures,  and Coraline had an extraordinary encounter with a very old-timer at one of the historical places.  It was quiet moving for her and made history seem more immediate.    I think her re-doing the 8th Grade will be good for her to catch up on things, it will be more of a review but already I can see some changes in her, her summer reading assignments have improved her language, and she even asked me if I could find a couple of books on writing The New York Times Manuel of Style and Usage,  The Chicago Manuel of Style, and The Elements of Style.

She told me her English Teacher recommended those books to her if she is serious about writing.   Well I certainly and get that for her.   And it seems she found of list of contractions, list of words that sound the same but mean different things and how to use possessive words,  like Their as compared to They're when means They are. 

Well I have to say it seems that this Summer has had more than a few shake ups and more  than just Earthquakes.  This coming School year should prove to be interesting, to say the least.

And now I am beginning to feel drenched in sweat so back to the shower I go, in a way I'll be very glad to have winter.

Later Darklings

Of Some Earthquake Good News~~~

Hello Darklings,

We've been following the news of the Napa quake here at work and we cheered when we heard that the boy that was crushed under bricks from the family fireplace, although having major surgery has been upgraded to "satisfactory condition"  his pelvis had to be, as I understand it, re-built, but for a bright and happy 13 year old he's very upbeat.

Two very venerable historic churches are going to be saved from demolition and restored.  And from what we've been hearing that is what they are going to do with as much as possible with historic Downtown Napa.   I sincerely hope so.

They are saying that Napa is open for business but the main part of town is still being cleared away but many businesses around the area are functioning including many wineries. 

And from what we've seen in the news the whole community is pulling together and helping out any way they can.

They have over 100 aftershocks but the chance of having another big one is now down to 12%.

I always love good news, so tonight Doyle and I will plan on doing something over the weekend, there is the place, I have to go to KPIX (CBS ch 5) website to get the name, it's a consignment shop and they are taking donations of kitchen goods, glasses, dishes etc to help people get back on their feet who lost their dish ware and it will be exchanged for free. 

Sis and I have some modern dish and glass wear from our old apartments before I moved into the house, so now I think Doyle and I will take it with us and drop it off up there, when we go up on the weekend.

Coralline is both happy and a little sad, School for her starts next week, happy because she'll be seeing a number of her friends, sad because the Summer for her is over, but her Dad has said that does not end the trips.  So I think something is in the works.

Later Darklings

Of "Earthquakes" and aftermaths~~~~

Well Darklings,

As the new poured in the last count was nearly 200 people injured but 4 or 5 critically, the worst was a 13 year old boy that was sleeping with a friend in the living room and the bricks from the fireplace fell in and crushed his chest.

Last word on him was he's stable and so far no fatalities, Historic Down Town Napa has sustained a lot of damaged, the fires were mostly in mobile home parks, very old homes were sheared off their foundations.  At least 100 structures were "Red Tagged" not habitable.

The odd thing is Doyle and I just to get away from it for a day had planned to go to Napa and Sonoma for the Day and with luck maybe overnight, but I think we'll have to change plans and think of something else.

This is going to be short post, several of my co-workers have relatives in Vallejo, Napa etc. and have gone to help out so I was called in to work for a few days to take up the slack.

Then I'll be back to my old schedule in Mid-September.  But it will be only 3 days a week, and on call for emergencies.  Frankly I like my reduced schedule, much easier for me.

Now must go, my mini-break is over.

Later Darklings

Of Earthquakes or "I'm all shook up!!"

My Goodness Darklings,

For those of you who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, did you feel that Earthquake at 3:30 this morning???

Here we are all nice and cozy in our beds when suddenly the dogs jumped up and started barking, and then we felt the rolling shake of the earthquake, it felt like it was going on forever, and being on the upper level of the house you feel it more.

The reports are a bit confusing they say that the epicenter was near American Canyon, but Damage was reported in Napa and Vallejo and it was between a 6.0 to 6.1.

There were or are fires now either contained or put out, some buildings (older one's partially collapsed) 2 to 4 people seriously hurt, of course broken water mains, reports of gas leakage. 

But so far very little panic.  I did see a photo of a house that was sheared off it's foundation. 

We'll know more by the 6 p.m. news.

Anyway Doyle got up and checked for gas and water leaks but our "little fireman" shut off the gas (this is a device that if there is an earthquake or any serious shaking, will automatically shut off the gas)

Doyle said he would wait to turn it on in the morning, and he and Brian did but continued checking for gas, but we had to wait for hot water for our showers, my Sis and Brian her boarder, came running over to my house, her "Little fireman" worked as well, so I had her sleep in her old room and Brain slept in the downstairs maid's room.

So once things are back to normal we'll continue checking things, I was surprised nothing fell or broke, be thankful for little blessings.

Sis says the coffee is hot and my turn for the shower. 

So all is well, so far.

Later Darklings

Frankly that is a great idea.